


Crossfade Cut

by Anaya_of_Wolves



Series: Healing a Heartsong [3]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Friendship, Fun With Friends, Gen, Inspired by Music, Male-Female Friendship, Musical References, Non-Binary Original Character(s), Not Re:Mind DLC compliant, Original Character(s), Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Original World(s), Post-Kingdom Hearts III, Seeing more of the world, Sora (Kingdom Hearts)-centric, Sora's thoughts are still a mess and aren't getting somewhat better, Train Ride, Visiting a new city, Worried Sora, Worries, confusing thoughts, daily life, having fun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-09
Updated: 2019-08-08
Packaged: 2020-06-25 09:23:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19742794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anaya_of_Wolves/pseuds/Anaya_of_Wolves
Summary: One day had faded into another, and so a week had passed for Sora in this new world with his new friend.  Now, he was being taken to enjoy more sights of the world with Harmony, getting to meet new people and potential friends as well.  All of this should spark joy and happiness, and it does for him.But where there is good feelings and happy thoughts like bright lights, shadows linger as well from those lights.  Nothing is threatening him or anyone else here, but that doesn't stop the worry and fear that something could.  That doesn't stop the small, sickening thoughts that hardly feel like his own that maybe, just maybe, he doesn't have to leave here.  But Sora hopes that they go away soon, because otherwise he would have to drag Harmony into his thoughts and problems, which he already didn't want to do in the first place.  She was his newest friend, someone helping him out because she cared, and honestly, he felt more reassured by that then help with his problems stemming from being on a different world than he was suppose to be.Now, now he just wanted to enjoy the sights and sounds of Symposia-Major, with Rhythm and Beat.  That is what he wanted to do, or was trying hard to think that he did.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I figured that, rather than wait until I finished it all, I should probably just post up what I knowingly had already finished up that could be a chapter by itself. Originally, it wasn’t going to be that way, but the “latter” half of what would have one big fic just got pretty long with details and stuff going on, that I figured it would be best to separate these parts up. Just so that it wouldn’t take me another month to finish it all up and have it posted up. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy reading it and let me know what you think of the series and story so far!

**“You've got a friend in me**  
**You've got a friend in me**  
**When the road looks rough ahead**  
**And you're miles and miles**  
**From your nice warm bed**  
**You just remember what your old pal said**  
**Boy, you've got a friend in me  
** **Yeah, you've got a friend in me”**

**-“You’ve Got a Friend in Me” by Randy Newman**

**|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|**

The lulling sounds of the train car gliding along the tracks above provided a soothing background noise as the pleasant lands located outside of Symposia-Operani passed by. At first, it almost seemed like there wasn’t any noise being made, if someone wasn’t careful enough to listen. But the sound of the train gliding was soft, sometimes hitting a soft note of a melody that Sora absently listened to now. At the beginning of the ride, his mind had focused on it, though eventually his mind drifted off to other thoughts at the moment. Ones far more pressing than on the uniqueness that was a train making music along its tracks. Thoughts he had that dragged him away from the cushioned train car, new world he was traveling in, and the new friend seated next to him. 

Sora knew that constantly worrying and thinking about such things sometimes wouldn’t immediately get results. Solutions came when one understood and allowed things to just _be_ , but he was also still nervous and worried over everything. Usually this was when Donald would pique up with a suggestion on what to do or even a resolved “You’re worrying too much, Sora!” Goofy would then agree with his feathered friend, which would allow Sora to feel a little more relaxed with his two friends helping him. But they weren’t here at the moment, unfortunately, causing him to frown at that sad thought.

"This is the fastest way to go between the cities, since all of the cities are connected by the Stave Lines. It is probably not the fastest transportation invented, since it takes about an hour or two to get to the capital from the outer cities. But it’s quite nice to be able to relax-” 

There was a pause and then a huff of annoyed breath.

“Are you even hearing anything I am saying, Sora?"

Sora blinked rapidly out of his thoughts when he heard his name, and soon he noticed Harmony’s disappointed face looking at him from his side. "What- huh?” A wave of guilt washed over him once he realized what he had accidentally done. “Oh, sorry, Harmony. Just got lost in my thoughts for a moment there." He offered her a weak smile to compensate for unknowingly ignoring her. It wasn’t near enough to repay that small offense towards his friend.

Harmony huffed, still looking slighted for being ignored, and crossed her arms over her chest childishly. 

But still, she asked him after taking a moment to calm herself, "Anything you want to talk about?" Her head tilted in a concerned manner, face showing the full openness of such concern for Sora as well.

‘ _Besides the usual?,_ ’ he wanted to say to her, but stopped himself. Sora knew his thoughts of getting back to his friends, of finding a way to not bring about darkness to this world and any other, and to finally get to just…not have to fight for his life had been a constant mental companion. His thoughts had also been about the keyblade, how he had managed to summon one the other night. That should make him happy, since it meant something must be going right for his heart and heartsong now. But there was still an underlying fear in his stomach that cautioned him. Nothing about summoning the weapon felt wrong, but Sora still felt the anxiety of doing it again.

Would Heartless come it he did again? What about finding a way off this world now? What were his friends doing right now? Could they help him so far away? Were they looking for him right now?

Again and again, he had so many questions and still no answer. Even after a week, the sense of directionless focus still lingered.

But at least he wasn’t stuck somewhere that would make that lost feeling worse. In his heart, he knew Symposia-Operani was a nice temporary point to stay until he figured out what to do next.

That same heart was his guiding key, Master Yen Sid said that to him, Donald, and Goofy before they had gone off to try and stop Xehanort. His keyblade guided them through the Other Sky to where they needed to go in order to help both them and the worlds threatened by Heartless and Nobodies. Never had it led them astray. Whatever he felt like he needed to do, could do, it wouldn’t be the wrong choice. His heart would guide him on the correct path.

“Nah, just got lost in thought for a second there,” he answered with a little more cheer in his voice to reassure her. After staying with Harmony and her family, he noticed how she would get more upset if he didn’t tell her something or kept something to himself. Not that he thought she wanted to pry into his own problems, but Sora noticed how enclosed within herself she could get. It briefly reminded him of Riku, when he would close himself up instead of talking about his problems. He didn’t want that to be between them, but he also didn’t want to bother her with his own heavy thoughts.

“Oh,” she muttered briefly, her dark eyes glancing away and out the window. 

Sora followed her gaze, trying to not think how she was still clearly upset. 

The flat expanse of rolling hills and bright, vibrant greenery and trees of the lands that rested between Symposia-Operani and to where they were riding flew by. Harmony told him that the name of these lands was called Mento. He occasionally saw the towns and houses that dotted about and added to the bright colors of the landscape. The houses glowed in the sunlight of bright colors that he could almost hear the musical sounds that must be playing around them by the people that lived there. 

No part of this world appeared or was silent, he thought to himself and turned back to start a conversation with Harmony in order to bridge the gap he had made early. Hopefully, she wouldn’t be still too upset with him, though he could still understand if she was. 

“So, where are we heading to? You didn’t really tell me this morning when you suggested I get up and get dressed before noon.” Rarely did either of them get up so early, unless it was for her to go to school a few days of the week.

Thankfully, even if she wasn’t looking at him yet, that got a small upturn of the corner of her mouth. “That’s because telling you would ruin the surprise.”

“Oh, it’s a surprise?”

The smile on his face was returned by Harmony when she finally looked at him. Sora liked seeing her happy, wanting to keep her in such a mood as her friend. If this “surprise” of hers would do so, then he wouldn’t want it to be spoiled then. Even if his curiosity still persisted and made him want to find out.

“Another city? Is this one like Symposia-Operani?”

“Well~,” she stressed out in a sing-song tune of her voice, still grinning away, “It is similar, since it shares the same forename, Symposia. All five major cities do, since they are all a part of one kingdom.”

Sora nodded his head along as he listened to her.

“But~, well, I don’t want to spoil your surprise, it isn’t exactly like Operani. All the cities have their own unique style, like the different styles of music. Symposia-Major, where the end of the train lines stop, is very different from Operani.”

“Oh? What is it like then? Or is that the surprise?”

“Yep!” Harmony cheerily replied, now looking eager in her seat. A few people in the same train car glanced over to them when they heard her outburst. Of course, Harmony wasn’t focused on them and the attention she received, still grinning away.

Sora couldn’t help but to be eager to see this new city, Symposia-Major, too. Not only because it would be an entirely new city, but also Harmony wanted to share more of her world with him. He couldn’t deny his new friend that kind of happiness, knowing it would be the same if she ever visited the Destiny Islands.

“Okay, sounds like a good wait to see it!”

“Yeah,” Harmony sighed out happily, “and you’ll get to meet Rhythm and Beat, the ones that found you and got me. They both have been probably eager to meet you as well, but with school keeping all of us busy, it’s hard to visit each other. Living in a different city, even a call away, isn’t the same as hanging out.”

Sora listened as to her voice lost some of her happiness as she talked about not being able to spend time with her friends. He didn’t take it to heart that he thought she considered him a friend and didn’t appear to be as happy with just him around. Then again, Sora had still been looking for his closest friends while also making new friends along the way of his journeys. He missed Riku and Kairi terribly but had Donald and Goofy from keeping him too down. Similarly, his gummiphone only granted him a small bit of relief in getting to speak with Riku whenever he wasn’t busy. Of course now, his gummiphone hadn’t been on his person or anywhere around where he had been found.

“I can’t wait to meet them, since they sound like great friends for helping me out even when they didn’t know who I was,” Sora complimented them, knowing that he would have to thank them when he met them. It would be the right and friendly thing to do, since they had helped him out greatly. Also, he couldn’t help but to grin more when Harmony perked up more at his reaction.

“They are! Totally will be all friends together!”

Sora couldn’t wait for the train to reach Symposia-Major for that to happen then. Making new friends was always fun.

Once it appeared the conversation was over about where they were going, he glanced back out the windows to watch the green landscape go by below them. It felt peaceful watching it all go by, lulling him away once more to his thoughts. But the worry that had been there before, about keyblades and Heartless, was gone now. 

Or rather, the worry that accompanied those thoughts was gone now. Now, Sora found that he felt a little more relaxed even as his thoughts brushed against those two main concerns.

Whatever would happen, be it Heartless appearing or having to find his own way off of this world to return back to all of his friends, he knew that it wouldn’t be impossible. To do so would just require him to focus more and let his heart guide him now. His new friends would help him too, because that is what friends did. All that help and his own strength wouldn’t let him down in what he needed to do.

“Like a song, one beat at a time,” he murmured quietly to himself as he watched a flock of birds fly by as the train continued on. One beat, one note, one step along his journey, and he would be back to where all of those connected to his heart would be.

**|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|**

“Now entering Symposia-Major Station, please exit your train car. Watch your step. The next car to Symposia-Jhazze will be leaving within the next few minutes. Have a safe and harmonious day.”

Once the pleasant voice on the intercom stopped speaking, the whole of the train car got up and began making their way out of the car. Sora was eager to really see the outside and see the city. About when they were ten minutes from the city, Harmony had made him stop looking outside of the windows. So that he wouldn’t spoil the surprise, or so she said. But he was still eager to see the sights.

“Come on Sora! Rhythm and Beat said they would meet us in the train station,” Harmony urged him along, looking like she was ready to bounce ahead of him through the exiting crowds or pull him along with her. 

Sora couldn’t keep the grin off his face as he quickly followed her lead. Though, he did make sure to say his apologies to the people around them as Harmony all but bullied her way through them. 

She mostly did so by saying, “Move, move it, please! Oh Song, hurry it up!”

Sora grinned as he ducked and weaved through the people, managing the short distance from exiting the train car and now going through the station. His eyes glanced around; a habit picked up from visiting so many worlds. But this place, like so many others, was one that captured his attention and made him pause in his steps to really get a full view of everything around him. Having come from a small island, big places and cities were always a sight to see. They weren’t even outside in the city yet!

The station was a bit dark in coloration, with a high vaulted ceiling and neon lights that ran around most of the borders of railing and storefront signs. It reminded him a bit of The World That Never Was with how suffocating and massive the darkly, depressing the skyscrapers and neon lights had been. But at least here, there were throngs of people walking about and signs of actual life. Glowing signs advertised products and concerts here and there, with the sounds of many people speaking and distant music coming from everywhere. Truly a chaotic mass of sounds and sights.

It was still a shock to take in it all. But Sora didn’t mind that, not really, still so caught up in looking all around him.

“Sora, move your tune!” Harmony snapped him out of his shock, making him shake his head to clear it of the wonder. He glanced around for her, spotting her several yards away with two other people. So, he hurried his way over between the people walking by and stopped where Harmony was.

She stood next to an art installation that was a tree made up entirely of CDs. The neon lights refracted off the CDs, creating dazzling lights of all the colors that appeared to float and shimmer around the shinning surfaces.

“Sora, meet Rhythm and Beat! You two, this is Sora!” Harmony introduced with a wave of her hand at the two standing next to her.

Sora smiled at them both, “Great to meet you two, especially since you were the ones that helped me out. Thanks for that!”

It was then that Sora noticed just how similar these two were. Twins, if he would put a good guess on it, with similar dark hair and almond-shaped, dark eyes. One to the right of Harmony had spiky hair on top of their head with it coming down one side of their head. The other had short, spiky hair only. Both had glittery, winged eyeliner around both their eyes and wore dark clothing accented with bright colors here and there.

“I’m Rhythm,” the one on the right introduced, pointing with their thumb to their chest, “and he’s Beat.” That same thumb was gestured to their twin on the other side of Harmony.

“I’m Beat,” Beat introduced, adding a bit more of a cocky flair to his voice before tilting his head towards Rhythm, “and they’re Rhythm.”

“Rhythm, Beat,” Sora repeated, glancing to them both before nodding his head, “Got it!” He smiled brightly, earning him curious looks from the twins before they soon returned grins of their own.

“Wow, he sure is a friendly stranger,” Rhythm commented, a joking tone in their voice as they said it, “and, well, I don’t think he’s that much of a stranger anymore now, huh Harm’?”

Harmony rolled her eyes, elbowing her friend in their side and huffing loudly, “He’s just been staying with me until he can- can…” 

Her eyes widened as her voice trailed off, meeting Sora’s and clearly realizing that she couldn’t tell them. Sora felt his own pulse rise, not knowing if these two should know about the other worlds and all about what he told Harmony.

“Go home,” Harmony continued, trying not to sound as nervous but failing a bit, “until the exchange program ends, yeah. He’s here from a, uh, distant city. Yeah, and he’s staying with us until he has to go back.” 

Sora could see the sweat forming as Harmony looked ready to bolt, and then he noticed the twins giving him and Harmony looks that didn’t say they quite believed her. He was ready to speak up in her defense, even though he wasn’t usually the one to lie about things.

“Oh, that sounds so cool,” Beat finally said excitedly, “that’s rocking, to be able to live in other cities!”

“Yeah, it is.”

“Well, why don’t we actually head into Symposia-Major and talk. Instead of just standing here?” suggested Rhythm, earning nods from the rest of the group. 

All four began walking to the massive, double glass doors of frosted glass. Sora could barely make out shapes beyond the glass, seeing specks of color from lights and moving shapes. But that was it of his limited view. He was still very excited to see the city, even if he had to keep up the lie as to why he was here and staying with Harmony. It wasn't that bad of a lie, just something to try to keep more people from knowing what lurked out in the Other Sky.

Once they stepped out of the train station, Sora’s amazement tripled from what it had been at seeing the interior of the station.

Symposia-Major, similar to its train stations and the world created by Xemnas, was, at least in this part of the city, a city of skyscrapers, bright lights, and electronic music bouncing about the buildings and the people. The tips of the buildings appeared to touch the sky, lights running up and down the sides of the buildings and illuminating them. Spiraling railing ran around buildings and dipped up and down between them and across the roads. The roads were full of small cars carrying around people in a steady, rhythmic order. People walked along the sidewalks with headphones, musical instruments, partners, or children with them. Symposia-Major pulsed with its music and people, coming alive with them all in a harmony Sora couldn’t quite see or hear just yet. But he knew it was there.

“Wow,” Sora muttered out, mouth still open in amazement as he tried to look at _everything_! He almost darted off to the nearest music shop, to see the art instillation in sight that appeared to be a metallic lion that pulsed to a beat he couldn’t hear at this distance. His blue eyes darted about, nearly forgetting those he stood with.

An arm wrapped around his shoulder, tugging him in a direction to start walking, and Sora heard Beat soon say near him, “You must come from a small town then, if Symposia-Major keeps you songstruck like that. Come on, So’, there is tons more to see!”

“Let him go, Bea’,” Harmony muttered from Sora’s other side, though there was still a small grin on her face as they walked among the crowds of people down one of the sidewalks. She looked a bit more at ease now, once Sora realized it. Happier, which he thought was due to seeing her friends now. He was so glad that she was, smiling brightly at her and getting a surprised smile in return.

“I don’t mind,” Sora answered back, soon reaching out to toss his own arm over Harmony’s shoulder as well, “I’m just glad to be able to hang out with you three and see all that you want to show me.”

“Awesome!” Beat exclaimed, “because there is a lot we do want to show, especially with a newbie. There are the Line-By-Lines and the karaoke cafes, and OH! Mom would totally skip a beat to meet you too! She is a DJ who plays in _Crossfade_ …”

As Beat continued to speak, sometimes added along by Harmony or his sibling Rhythm, Sora set himself be swept up with the conversation without really adding much else in. He eagerly listened along, enjoying listening to their lives here on this world. 

San Fransokyo felt the same way with Hiro and his friends. There was a vibe of liveliness that the Darkness hadn’t really touched for the most part. Compared to just the attack by the...Not-Riku, it had appeared to be a world spared from the battles of Light and Darkness. This world felt similar to that.

And, for a brief moment, Sora felt that he didn’t want to leave here.

Sora immediately came to a halt on the sidewalk, eyes wide and heart pounding in his chest. The other three jerked to a stop, looking at him with concerned looks as he just stood there. The pounding of his heart continued, almost pushing against his ribs to break free.

He couldn’t, he didn’t want to stay here! He had friends waiting for him! Donald, Goofy, Kairi, and Riku! They all missed him, he knew that! Sora missed them all dearly too and wanted to see them again soon!

So, why would he think he should stay here?

Absently, Sora reached up to rub his chest as he stared out into space ahead to try to figure out what was wrong with him. Out of the peripheral of his eyes, he saw small movements from Harmony, seemingly doing the same motion against her chest, before she reached out towards him to press a steadying hand on his shoulder.

“Are you okay? Do you need a break from all this lights and sounds?” she asked him softly, obviously caring about his well-being and thinking it had something to do with the city.

Maybe it did, Sora wasn’t quite sure of that right at this moment.

“I, I don’t know…” he muttered out faintly, still rubbing his chest until Harmony softly nudged him to look at her. When he did, she jerked her head to the side to a small building with the sign that read cafe on the outside. Sora swallowed thickly and nodded once, dropping his hand from his chest and heading with them over to the door.

A small chime alerted whomever was inside of their entrance, and soon they were greeted by a worker behind a glass counter who greeted them happily and told them to take a seat anywhere. Harmony ushered them over to a booth, sitting on one side with Sora nearest to the wall, and the twins took the other side. They let a few minutes pass, waving off the worker politely, and waited until Sora was ready to speak up. He tried to calm himself, but he still was worried over those thoughts that had crept up. There was nothing in his heart that wanted more to return to his friends, to his home, to the people he knew.

But his heart ached at the thought of leaving behind his new friends as well, as though he was going to abandon them. But he wasn’t, not really. The sticky worry in his head just kept that thought around. This confusing feeling in his chest, in his heart, persisted until finally it passing like a receding tide back into the ocean. Once it finally left, or enough to breathe properly, he let out a soft sigh of air.

“Better?” Beat asked softly, as they all were being with him. Sora nodded his head, giving the other a smile, before giving one to the still worried looking Harmony. Even after he did, she didn’t lose the worried look just yet.

“Yeah, I think,” Sora began, trying to come up with something without admitting the truth, “got really overwhelmed. I really don’t come from a big place like this.” He reached up to lightly pick at the side of his face. The twins appeared to believe him, nodding and agreeing that the city was a big place and intimidating. Sora was glad they did believe him.

But, when he turned his head to Harmony, he saw a light frown on her face. Maybe his response hadn’t fooled her, but hopefully she would understand that it was something he couldn’t talk about. At least, not yet, not right now.

“Sorry about this,” Sora apologized, mostly to Harmony, who soon shook away her frown and gave him a soft smile now.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s alright. We can get something light before continuing the tour around Symposia-Major.”

Sora grinned even brighter, glad to know that they weren’t upset. That Harmony wasn’t upset with him. He nodded his head, ready to have some new food to try and see more sights.

To get his thoughts away from the ones that still spoke in the shadows of his mind and heart, to stay here on this world, to never leave. Sora had never really had such thoughts before, not like it had felt just then. That feeling, tied to those thoughts, felt more like a chain to keep him bound than a desire of his own. Those were thoughts he would worry about much later, since the feeling was slowly receding as a light conversation was struck up by the twins.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a short interlude that I got an idea for. Mostly so that you all know what is going on back with Riku and his search. It is a small chapter, I know, but it is to hopefully give you all more hints to what is going on. Since Riku is finding out things that Sora and Harmony don't know of just yet.
> 
> Let me know what y'all think of things~!

_ “Is it trying to speak with us? Is that what the noise we heard?” Aqua asked, arms crossed over her chest and head tilted curiously to one side.  _

_ All present in Master Yen Sid’s study still stared at or occasionally glanced at the creature that appeared before so suddenly. Not without cause, apparently. The humming had brought it here, which was now a new mystery to solve along with  _ what  _ this thing was. _

_ Master Yen Sid hummed out in deep thought, stroking his long beard as he stared at the off-looking mini-conductor creature. It could have passed for a Heartless, but there was no emblem or a radiance of pure Darkness that those creatures gave off. This one merely continued to make screeching or ugly noises. Both of which wasn’t enough to understand what and where it had come from. _

_ “I cannot say for certain, Master Aqua,” the sorcerer answered back solemnly, “nor can I say from whence it came from. A creature like this is…” His voice trailed off for a moment as the creature looked at him. _

_ The creature soon began to wave with its right hand the little baton in the air as it made more noises. The left hand pointed towards its own chest, moving in time with the right. But the noises, this time, were to the motions of the baton and hand now. It rose and fell, sped up and slowed down, and soon came to a halt after a moment with the hand movements. The creature appeared to be looking expectedly up at Master Yen Sid, as though the sorcerer had understood what it said. _

_ The sounds that it made were still a mystery in meaning, unfortunately. _

_ “It is trying to communicate with us, somehow, but by what I am still unsure.” _

_ The creature then pouted its caricature of a face. It let out an indigent sound, huffing before humming out the tune that Riku, along with the rest of the keybladers present, recognized as the tune from before. But before any of them could understand why it was doing so, the creature soon popped out of existence the same way as it had into it. _

_ In the Silence between one note to the next. _

_ A creature of music, Riku thought to himself, battling against the negative thoughts that argued that he still hadn’t gained anything from that creature’s appearance. But he had, now that he allowed himself to think. _

Where would it come from? _ , he continued to try and figure out,  _ Somewhere where music is prominent?

_ It was a lead, a start in figuring out just what and where to head to next now. _

_ Riku glanced to Kairi, seeing that she still wore a frown on her face. He knew she wanted to find Sora badly. But he also could she how this dragged heavily on her. After what she had somewhat experienced wherever her heart had gone after Xehanort, there was something that even he could see haunting her every step. She was strong, he knew and believed that, but that didn’t mean he didn’t want to keep her safe now while looking for Sora. _

_ “Well, that has to be a start,” Riku spoke up, glancing away from Kairi just as she looked towards him and looking to Master Yen Sid once more, “I mean, don’t you have records for most words? How many could have music prominently in them? Enough to maybe create whatever that was?” _

_ The sorcerer appeared that he didn’t quite know himself, soon waving one of his hands in the air to summon over a book from one of the shelves. Terra ducked a bit before the thick tome could accidentally hit him. The book floated through the air and over to the desk, now sans the magical cage. Master Yen Sid opened it up and began flipping through the pages. _

_ “Let me look and see if it is. You are all dismissed for the moment until I find results to Master Riku’s insightful question needing an answer.” _

_ The group present all bowed for the older master, and most dispersed out of the room. Kairi gave Riku a soft, apologetic look that he returned with a small shake of his head. No more apologies, he would do as he would promise them all. Left in the study was Mickey and Riku, waiting for Master Yen Sid to flip through the pages of his book for answers. _

_ It still surprised and struck Riku as a tad  _ odd  _ that Master Yen Sid would have something like that. Not because he didn’t doubt the older man to know much about the worlds he stayed beyond from, but something just felt odd about it still. _

_ Master Yen Sid hummed once more in thought as his eyes scanned over words and pages holding images of worlds and other pictures Riku couldn’t quite understand from being upside down. He waited there, almost wishing he had left. Who knows how long it would take the other to look through countless of worlds in the hopes of finding the one that may have a link to where Sora was at or not. _

_ That creature came from somewhere else. Somewhere that none present had the slightest clue or memory of. That had to be something to it! _

_ Riku focused on the belief he still held bright in his heart, knowing that he was on the right path. Sora would be proud of him, smiling that bright smile of his. The other would say that he was doing right by following his heart to find him. They were all connected. Riku felt his heart pulse, reaching out for the connection once more to resonate stronger back. But even when he still didn’t get much back, he continued to have faith that he would manage to, in time. _

_ A steady tempo to keep him going. _


	3. Chapter 3

With stomachs full of drinks and small pastries, the four left the cafe in better spirits than they had rushed into it with. Of course, Sora felt their stares on him when they began heading down the sidewalk more into the city. He knew they were watching out for any signs of distress, which in turn made him feel like he needed to constantly tell him that he was alright and that he didn’t feel anything wrong with him. But he also knew that they were just wanting him to be alright and caring about his feelings too. So, he just ended up reassuring with smiles and light questions as the neon life around them throbbed and beat to music around them here and there.

“Where are we going to now?” Sora curiously wondered, still taking in the sights while trying hard not to think about what had plagued him earlier in his thoughts.

Beat hummed out, sticking his balled hand up to his chin as he did. Harmony’s mouth shifted to the side as she thought about Sora’s question too. But it was Rhythm who appeared to have a destination in mind right now and let him know what it was.

“Well, there are parks here in Symposia-Major that I don’t know if there are where you lived,” they began to explain, appearing to ease more into explaining before really talking about what kind of place it was, “really great places, peaceful too. These parks are designed with bioluminescent plants that the gardeners tend to with songs to help keep them growing healthy and big. Honestly, it is a sight to see them singing at the plants and the plants react with differing shades of colors and brightness.” When they concluded their description, they looked hopefully towards Sora, appearing to want him to agree to visit there now.

Sora was caught a little off-guard by how much Rhythm talked about such a park and that look. He glanced over to Beat and Harmony, who looked to have been expecting this and taking this as the norm for the other. 

Well, Sora didn’t want to disappoint one of his new friends, so he glanced back over to Rhythm and gave them a nod of his head, “That sounds like a really cool place to visit now! Let’s go!”

It was decided then that’s where they were going to do. Sora, of course, tried to remember the way there from where they had started out from. But the twisting ways of the streets and the almost oppressively dark lighting accented with neonlights of Symposia-Major made it hard to do that. There was still sunlight above the city, he could look up and see it. But down at the bottom of the buildings and among all the people who were walking and going about their daily lives, it was hard to tell if it was night or day here. The duality of the city clashed together and came together like the harshness of silence and the blaring sounds.

After what seemed to be a whole journey to the park that Rhythm mentioned, which had probably only been a few minutes to those that had gone there before, Sora noticed the gating that must separate between the walkways and the park itself. As they approached, he noticed that the gates were, in fact, made up of holograms to look as real until something passed through the lights.

“That’s so cool,” he commented, reaching out to watch the lights bend around his hand. He took it back out before placing it again, waving it back as he continued to walk down the sidewalk.

The whole city appeared to be composed of lights and sounds.

“That’s not even the coolest part yet,” Rhythm answered back, giving Sora a mischievous look on their face. Sora couldn’t wait to know what that meant, and the same apparently could be said for them.

Soon enough, the group turned to walk through the entryway, now really able to see the gardens without the glare from the holographic fencing. Inside reflected the natural version of Symposia-Major in one place, with people admiring the gardens on strolls and sitting beneath trees.

The plants here, Sora noticed were all glowing with spots of different colors. Flowers that sat in patches shimmered through the prism of colors, fading from one to another with beats to a song Sora was curious to know. The trees hung orbs of lights all along their branches; lights requiring no electricity or wiring at all. A few more art pieces, one of a spinning dancer and another that appeared to be an octopus-like creature holding a myriad of instruments stood further along the paths, gaining attention from children and parents alike. 

There was so much to look at, to see and hear, that Sora almost felt dizzy from glancing around so much. He would have started to spin around but felt a hand on his arm tugging him down the path. Harmony gave him a knowing grin.

“You were right,” he admitted to her, earning a quick confused look before elaborating, “about Symposia-Major being different than Symposia-Operani. It is so much more, with bright colors and sounds, almost like two completely differently...worlds.”

There was a look of wide-eyed wonder on Harmony’s face when Sora admitted that. He recognized that look only from how he felt of seeing Traverse Town and the many other worlds when he had started out. There was a sense of adventure within Harmony, a kinship they both could understand. She looked ready to ask him so many questions.

Beat glanced around, pursed lips in thought, and nodded, “I could see that, yeah. I mean, each of the major cities all are unique. Different genres and all that jazz.” His twin nodded their head in agreement with him, not really understanding the scope that Sora was implying.

But Harmony did, and she still kept quiet but still so eager to ask more than she had before.

The four continued down the walking path, weaving around groups of children or adults, and sometimes stopping to admire plant life or artistic work. Occasionally, one of the twins or Harmony would explain something to Sora, about a sound or sight, which continued to allow him to understand more about this place and this world. How the music helped the plants grow, affected the lights the bioluminescent petals gave off, and how they grew a certain way. Music was intrinsically tied to both the growth of the gardens and to everything and everyone around as well.

The four stopped when Rhythm pointed out to a patch of bushes with bright pink and green glowing flowers and buds. There was a figure among the plants, dressed in a working suit that was kneeling down to the bushes and apparently looking like they were saying something that Sora couldn’t hear at the distance they were at. It seemed strange to him, since most gardeners he had seen never really talked to the plants.

“What’s going on?”

“Well, they’re singing to help the plants grow.”

“Singing?” Sora asked Rhythm, confused by how that would be a skill for a gardener to have and for whatever reason it would be. But then, he had a delayed thought that _everything_ in this world apparently was music-based. So it wasn’t that strange. 

He glanced back over to watch the gardener continuing to work. “Oh, right, that makes some sense.”

Sora missed the hitch in one of Rhythm’s eyebrows, before they continued to explain, “Yeah, especially in Major. Little light doesn’t help, so gardeners sing to the music of the plants to help them grow and stay alive. A balance between a harmonious heartsong can help anything grow, since really everything is connected through heartsongs.”

“People too,” Harmony contributed, nodding her head, “Even if it is a little or a lot. The harmonious music helps make a good song, harmony and balance. No one’s heartsong is ever really by itself, since we all are with other people, friends, and family. All heartsongs, one great Song.”

“‘One great Song,’” Sora echoed with a reverent tone. He watched with his own eyes as the gardener, who he now could see that they were in fact singing, made the plants around them grow brighter and lusher by the moment. It was a magical sight.

The growing plants and Harmony’s words reminded him that they all were connected, all the worlds and every heart. No link by itself, no chain fully broken away and forgotten. Even when separated at such distances, there was still a chance to come back.

“The Song and the Silence, built on Harmony and Dissonance. Can’t be anything without those.”

Rhythm and Beat nodded their heads in agreement with Harmony, still watching as the lights twinkled around them from the tree branches hanging above and flowers along the walking paths. A harmony of sounds, mixed with the silence between the sounds, in a harmony that appeared in its own unharmonious way.

**|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|**

They left the gardens grown musically in high notes. Sora remained entranced by how uniquely grown and appearances of all the plants within. There was even more to just the ever-present thoughts too 

The temptation to draw forth his keyblade to help the music, as he had done so in part of the Mark of Mastery exam, sprung up almost too quickly to stop. The summoning power danced eagerly in the palm of his hand. He kept his hands clenched all the way through the gardens in order to stop his keyblade being summoned unconsciously. Sora kept it tempered down with the sight of how happy Harmony and the twins were without him doing so. 

To cause any attention on them without reason would have put a damper on such happiness. 

Sora didn’t want that to happen. It did feel like he was hiding a part of himself now with each suppressed moment. A careful balance had to be maintained, if what he was understanding from this world. The worlds’ order too must be kept intact. Master Yen Sid’s voice reminded him in a distant voice in his mind.

_Maybe later_ , he thought to himself, wondering which of his keyblades he would summon next time. His _Kingdom Key_ , or would it be the new one he had managed the other night with Harmony. _Musical Union_. 

Arms hooked around the crook of Sora’s elbows and began pulling him faster down the sidewalk. He snapped from his thoughts of keyblades, noticing the grinning faces of Harmony and Beat at his sides. He grinned back at them, picking up his pace so that they didn’t have to really pull him along. All three of them dominated the width of the sidewalk, leaving Rhythm to keep a faster pace in front of them.

“Where are we going to now?” Sora couldn’t keep the laughter from his voice, enjoying just how childish and silly they were being. When Harmony got them to skip along in the arm-link chain, it grew laughter between them all.

“Well,” Beat had a sing-song tone of voice as he picked his knees up high for the skipping, “for you to meet our mother!” 

“Oh?”

Rhythm bobbed their head, glancing back to Sora slightly as they explained, “Yeah, she is this dj. Actually, a really good dj. Probably the best in Symposia-Major, if we are going to rank her. And she would love to meet someone strangely new like you!”

“That sounds a little insulting there, Rhy’.”

“Nah, no insults, Harm’. Besides mom hasn’t seen you in a while too. Mom loves Harm’ like a daughter too.”

“Yeah, she’s a great...mom.” 

The quietness of Harmony’s voice doesn’t escape Sora’s notice even if the twins appear to not have. Briefly, he thought back to the fact that it is only Harmony, her sister, her sister’s wife, and said wife’s grandmother that live in the tiny house in Symposia-Operani. The pictures along the walls there also show no real sign of any parents of the two. No one has mentioned them too, or even if they might live in another city like the twins did.

A thought over what happened to them to be so removed from their lives bubbled up in Sora’s mind. 

But that thought quickly quieted down when Sora began to hear something. Quiet humming, among all the different sounds of Symposia-Major, tickled his ears above everything else. It was a soft melody, rising and falling like a gentle breeze in the afternoon. The breeze was light and airy, soft enough to dance among the winds and still gentle caress all that it passed. The humming melody was playful, before evening out into a soft sadness that conjured up a lonely feeling.

Sora’s eyes dart around, wondering just who or what was making such sounds, until he realized that it was coming from Harmony. He turned his head as she absently continued to hum, mouth barely parted open to let the sound out.

His staring soon rewarded him in Harmony meeting his gaze and promptly stopping the sound.

“What?” she asked, tone flat and carrying nothing of the almost melancholic tone the humming had.

“Oh! Nothing, just thought that I heard humming-”

Harmony’s dark brown eyes immediately darted away, looking at the passing windows and stores. “There is a lot to hear in Symposia-Major, Sora.”

“Yeah, you’re right…” he reluctantly agreed with slight frown and his voice trailing off. Because of how defensive she had gotten over being asked, Sora allowed her to slip from the hold around one of his arms, watching her move forward a few more steps to walk next to Rhythm. The slight frown grew heavier on Sora’s face, and he wondered what he had said to upset her so much to walk away from him.

Was it because he asked her about the humming? Or was the song she sang more of an unconscious act she hadn’t realized she was doing?

Another question also sprung up too, making Sora wonder why he could have heard her hum that melody with such clarity as he had been able to. Also, how that humming had stirred up something deep within his heart and his connection to her as well. It tugged on that bond, calling out to him among all the noise in this world.

But what had been so special about that melody in particular?

That was a new mystery for Sora, among the grand mystery as to why he was here in the first place. Hopefully, in pursuit of such answers, he didn’t ruin his newest friendship with Harmony.

_~ . ~ . ~_

Sora had never been to a dance club, nor had he really seen one up close before. There were a few spotted and talked about in San Fransokyo, all lit up with bright lights and signs to catch everyone’s attention. Hiro also mentioned a few that the rest of the Big Hero 6 visited. He said that there were places to dance to loud music and have fun, though Hiro mentioned how Sora and he weren’t quite old enough to get into most of them.

But seeing one up close and at its doors, Sora felt the eagerness rising up to go inside and see what it was all about. He couldn’t hear any music from the outside, but the neon lights around the sign of the name of the club, _Crossfade_ , still had him eager to see the inside of it.

There was only a slight disappointment, however, when going inside was met with a quietness.

A frown dragged down the corners of his lips. After glancing around, he noticed that there really wasn’t anyone around. Not at the bar, booths, or on the dancefloor. He saw a person or two that would walk into the main room or out of it, but no one dressed for dancing. The whole building felt vacant and too quiet, which made him wonder more about why that was. Wasn’t there supposed to be people here and dancing? That’s what he thought.

Light snickering distracted him away from his thoughts, glancing over to see Harmony and the twins trying hard not to grin from ear to ear. Of course, that failed after Sora’s face grew even more confused at why they were laughing in the first place.

“What did you expect, Sora? It’s still daytime,” Beat managed to get out, though still lightly chuckling. His sibling and friend nodded their heads and tried to stop grinning as well. They couldn’t hide their amused grins any better than he was doing.

“Oh.” Sora didn’t want to sound too disappointed, but it was hard not being able to when he had hoped to be here with tons of other people dancing. Even if he knew he wasn’t probably the best dancer, it would have still been loads of fun with his new friends.

Beat sighed fondly, patting Sora on his shoulder, “Oh So-So, maybe another trip here.”

“When we don’t have a curfew!” Harmony chimed in, grinning but having none of the ‘amused at Sora’s reaction’ vibe to it. Her tone was more wistful than anything else, apparently having the same idea that Sora had. That spending time and going out dancing would have been an excellent way to spend time with her friends.

“That too,” Rhythm agreed, nodding their head before jerking their chin forwards, “Now, come on. Let’s not keep mom waiting any longer and wondering if we got lost along the way here.”

The group of four moved more into the center of the building, passing by more empty spots. The normal lights gave the club an almost emptier atmosphere now, leaving more to wonder about than be reassured of its purpose. Dull, multi-colored bulbs lined hanging together on rigs or by themselves on lonely poles at different corners and intersects between booths and walkways. All of those lights were not on at the moment, which continued to give the club a dormant mood to it. The twins lead their way pass these light fixtures and seating, apparently none too concerned about any of it, and soon began walking across the large expanse of flooring towards the sound booth at the head of it.

As they were about halfway across the dancefloor, lights began to flicker on and shine down on them, stopping all of them in their tracks. “Here to dance, my little songbirds?” A voice came on to say over the loudspeakers, making Sora jump a bit at how loud and sudden it was.

“Mom!” both of the twins called out loudly and happily, waving up at the lone figure standing the dj booth. The figure waved back at them, before reaching down to press something on the table in front of her. The party lights that had turned on suddenly turned right back off, leaving the place once more bathed in normal lighting rather than multitudes of colors. Then the figure moved away from the dj booth, heading over to the side of the platform before heading down a few steps and over towards the group of teenagers. There was a half-cocked grin on her face, that Sora noticed Rhythm inherited, and an air of friendly playfulness around her.

"Well, hello there," she greeted warmly to Sora, once she noticed that they had not been previously introduced before. The woman held out her hand with long, bronze-painted fingernails at the tips and shook the hand offered back by him. "It's always a nice surprise to meet another friend of the twins and Harmony. I'm Shidaiqu."

"Sora! And it's great to meet you too!" It was a pleasure to meet her, noticing how friendly she was. His wide grin, nearly stretching ear to ear, managed to spread to her own face, watching her smile grow even larger after the introduction.

Shidaiqu shared the same warm brown eyes and dark hair that the twins had, but her face held a rounder and softer shape to it, comparing that to the sharp angles of both Rhythm’s and Beat’s faces. Devoid of any really noticeable make-up that decorated her children’s faces, there appeared to be smudges of color at the corners of her eyes where it once had been. Her whole body radiated a collectively relaxed tone to it, enhanced by the fact that we appeared to be wearing lounge wear underneath a small, silk robe.

After making a point to glance around them, Sora looked back to Shidaiqu and excitedly asked her, "Is this your danceclub? It's incredible!" Even if it was empty and no music to hear, the building still appeared to be an interesting place just lying dormant for entertaining.

Shidaiqu raised her hand to her mouth, chuckling behind it, while her eyes crinkled at the edges too. “Oh, you are such a flatterer.” 

Sora ducked his head with the flushing embarrassment rising up on his cheeks, getting darker when the twins and Harmony began to snicker too. He gave them a soft glare to get them to stop. It didn’t work. Instead, the glare stirred up more snickering from them. Once Shidaiqu lowered her hand, there still remained the soft smile on her face at the compliment. Respectively, the snickering from her children and Harmony also died down a bit as well, though amused grins lingered on their faces to Sora.

"Good eye to say that!” Shidaiqu told him with a proud joy in her voice, nodding her head once, “It is. Through hard tunes and discordant songs." A soft sigh slipped passed her lips like a thief in the night, catching her off-guard and causing her to shake it away to return the grin back to her lips. “Come, let’s sit down. I want you four to tell me what all you have done today!”

Shidaiqu ushered them all over to one of the larger booths off against the side of the club. Rhythm and Beat quickly slide in one after the other to sit in the middle of the semicircle-shaped seat, Harmony sliding in next after them. Sora sat next to Harmony, though that left him facing Shidaiqu directly across the table. 

Once everyone was seated, quickly the twins began to retell what had happened today. Though not a whole lot had been done, they explained their way around Symposia-Major and what they had been telling Sora. They also mentioned how he can from a smaller city further away than this one, allowing them to joke about how surprised Sora was of everything. There remained a soft, motherly smile on Shidaiqu’s face as her children continued to tell her all that had happened, and she sometimes had to get them to stop so that she could hear Harmony speak. Or Sora, if he wished to. However, a real interest picked up in Shidaiqu’s facial expression when there was mention of Sora feeling a slight pain when he first walked about the city.

"Oh? What happened? Too loud?"

"Uh, well…”

The concern in Shidaiqu’s voice made Sora nervous, because he didn’t really know how to explain the feeling of not wanting to leave and how that had scared him. Sora glanced over to the others at the booth, still not sure if he should try now or wait until he spoke to Harmony about it. Of course, he couldn’t help but to notice how the others all looked at him and waited for his answer.

"Not really. My chest just began to hurt."

Shidaiqu’s head tilted a bit to the side, eyes focusing more on him, "Where?"

Sora rubbed over the center of his chest, above where he could feel his heart beating just underneath. He met her curiously, concerned gaze, though still felt a little nervous in telling her. It wasn’t really the fear that she would find out about his dissonant heartsong, but something else nudged at the anxious feeling he felt. He watched as Shidaiqu propped up one arm to rest her elbow on the table and to cradle her chin in her hand. An expression of deep thought passed over her face, making Sora lower his hand down in wait and wonder. Still he wondered if she knew or had known something similar.

After a few moments, a soft, comforting smile came over her lips after a quick nod of her head, "I'm sure it was your heartsong adjusting to all the music around you. Happens sometimes."

"Oh! Well, that's good to know." Sora sighed out in relief, feeling it too. Of course, he still wondered if it was still something to be relieved about if his heartsong reacted that way. No one present but Harmony knew he was from another world and what had happened to him before arriving here. Whatever happened to his heart when he pulled back his friends’ hearts from the brink felt like it had contributed to this problem of his heartsong too.

Shidaiqu continued to give him a soft smile, before glancing over to the rest at the booth to ask them, "Where else are you all going to visit? The gates of Minor?"

"The gates of Minor?" Sora couldn’t help himself to ask.

Harmony, instead of answering Sora’s question, answered Shidaiqu back. "Well, we hadn't planned to go that far into Major to get there.”

"I think he'll like to see it,” Rhythm stated eagerly, soon asking Sora, “Right, Sora?"

No one present had answered Sora’s questions, making him still as confused as when Shidaiqu mentioned such a place. Even though he didn’t mind seeing new places, a little clarification wouldn’t help either. Donald’s and Goofy’s voices in his memories often said that he would rather jump before looking at where he was leaping. He wasn’t that bad of doing that, anymore.

"What are they? Where are they?"

"They're gates to Minor, of course!"

"I think he needs more clarification than that, Bea'." Shidaiqu, slightly amused at her son’s eagerness, turned her head to Sora as she now addressed his questions. "Symposia-Major is one half of the capital of the kingdom of Symposia. It surrounds the inner capital, called Symposia-Minor. There, the government officials, mayors and governors of the major cities, as well as the royal family and the castle work and live."

"Oh, so there is a king of Symposia?"

Shidaiqu shook her head with a fond grin on her lips at Sora’s question. "No, but there is a queen. Queen Ave Marie. Daughter to the Queen Mother, Fanta-"

"Hey twinsies!" An interrupting voice stopped Shidaiqu and caused the entire booth to glance over at who spoke. The twins broke out in twin large grins at who had walked over to the table.

"Hey, uncle Blues!" Rhythm and Beat greeted, still grinning and receiving a large grin back from the dark-skinned man standing there. He ran his hand through his hair, just skimming back the bright green streak of hair that started at the hairline above one eye and ran back across the scalp into the rest of his hair.

"Blues,” Shidaiqu greeted warmly, “good, we were thinking about getting some lunch. Care to join us?"

"Oh, we don't have to," Harmony tried to counter back against the offer.

"Nonsense, my treat, Harmony."

While those two discussed what was to be done about lunch, Sora introduced himself to Blues. He appeared to be as calmly cool as Shidaiqu was. But, of course, the prospect of getting more food and seeing more of the city had Sora voting for Shidaiqu’s idea. It appeared that only Harmony had been against, which she soon rescinded once outnumbered. However, out of the corner of Sora’s eyes, he caught a quick frown on Harmony's face at the verdict, before it faded into a quickly drawn up smile. But Sora knew it was fake the moment she tried to pass it off as a real one.

Just as he knew that Harmony was well aware that she wasn't fooling him with such a fake smile.

**|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|**

There hadn’t been a moment during the trip to get lunch through Symposia-Major with Shidaiqu and Blues that Sora had enough time to ask what was wrong with Harmony. No really private moment, that was. Of course, she continued to keep up that smile and happy attitude around everyone, which almost fooled Sora. But Sora could see the difference, see the change that had occurred. It worried him deep in his heart that something had really upset her and needed to be resolved.

But what? That was the question that lingered heavy and constant in his mind. 

She had really shifted in her attitude when Shidaiqu offered to take them all out to lunch. Maybe she didn’t want to have someone spend any money on her. But then Sora remembered how she reacted when the twins mentioned seeing their mother too. Just the mention on how she was like a daughter to Shidaiqu also made Harmony’s mood drop for a quick moment before picking right back up.

Sora really wanted to know what was wrong. It made his own heart feel burdened that she was obviously feeling upset about something. If there was a way to help her, then he would definitely have to try. Harmony helped him and continued being a good friend while he was stuck on this world. That meant that he couldn’t let her just feel bad if there was any way to help.

Occasionally, as the all walked down the busy sidewalks of the large city together, Harmony would catch him giving her a concerned look. Each time their eyes met, there was a quick flash of sadness before the brown irises would dart away, and Harmony would begin to speak with either Rhythm or Beat. Sora frowned somewhat at that avoidance. 

His chest felt heavier too, whenever it would happen. Almost the same heavy feeling that he had felt once entering the city outside of the train station. That heavy feeling, like a rock, that made his heart beat dull thumps in his chest. Sora tried to focus on his heartsong once more as well, hearing only the nearly muted, unrhythmic sounds of the song that was a part of his heart.

During this walk through the city, Shidaiqu and the others that lived within it made sure to point out to Sora the gates that surrounded Symposia-Minor as they got closer to it. 

Symposia-Major was a city of tall buildings, bright lights, and a jubilant sound ever-present. There was a thrumming life within the city that never appear to dull or die down anywhere, at least not for long from what Sora gathered. People walked around, drove around, and appeared to live their lives quite noisily within the capital city.

Symposia-Minor, beyond its gates, appeared to be subtly different than the outer ring of the capital. The gates themselves appeared to not be like other, normal gates Sora had seen before. Like all things within this world, a musical element had taken hold of them. Lines of music, notes of many and varying shapes, sometimes even spots where some of the music notes didn’t look _quite_ right also appeared as far as he could see in either direction left or right. The gates didn’t appear to really be keeping anyone out with their presence, but they stood a good ten feet tall and were quite impressive in their appearance.

“They don’t look sturdy in keeping anyone out,” Sora remarked, watching as people came and went through the opened gate. Flanking on either side of the opening appeared to be two guards, dressed in shiny, silver armor. The dazzling, neon lights of Symposia-Major bounced off their armor, almost coloring it one color completely before the color would shift unto another.

“Oh, the gates don’t keep anyone really out of Symposia-Minor. Look closer, they are a symbol of, not just the whole city, but of all Symposia. They are a song that wraps around Minor to keep it safe with the music of years gone by and to come. As well as all the heartsongs of everyone here.”

Shidaiqu’s explanation dazzled Sora. He watched her stare at the gates, a distant look in her eyes, that returned to the present when she looked at him with a soft smile on her lips. He grinned back and glanced to the gates in wonder. Beyond them, there were bright towers that stretched high up and looked as though they were dazzling and perfect. Even from where they stood, the sight of the castle’s spires was seen, making him a little eager to see it up close. Every other castle he had been to reflected the owner of said castle, which made Sora eager to see what it looked like to see what Queen Ave Marie might be like.

But just as Sora opened his mouth to ask about going into Symposia-Minor to see, Shidaiqu spoke up once more. This time with a soft warning in her voice that made him frown away the eager look on his face when she did.

“The gate is supposed to help keep everything in harmony, but even the threat it is supposed to help against might not be what is truly threatening. Safety of people’s heartsongs and the balance is all well and good, IF there is a balance. Having pure harmony just creates a chance of creating pure disharmony.”

Her frowning face made Sora even more confused, wondering a bit on what she was implying. Then again, turning to look back at what appeared to be a dazzling, perfect city, he might actually understand just what she meant in the end. 

It rang similar to what Xehanort had aimed to do, and what he ultimately failed in doing. He was so focused on the extremes, Light or Darkness. That when he tried to create what was supposed to be the balanced _X_ -blade. It did not work, both times. 

But Sora learned through all his travels, from learning from Riku, that a balance came in really understanding both and balancing them. Riku fought away the darkness by embracing it within the Light, and he wielded the Light by not being blinded by its power with the shadows that could spring up from it. The other had been so embarrassed when Sora admitted to him just how much he had learned and still learned from the new Keyblade _Master_. It was hard not to enjoy how much it made Riku blush and duck his head, smiling and thanking Sora back for the lesson he helped learn as well.

Faintly, from his soft memories of what been unknowingly the last few days together with his closest friend, Sora heard presently a soft agreement from Harmony in what Shidaiqu spoke of. Though, this time, he had been lost in remembering his friends still distant to him than the one standing nearby.

**|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|**

They were all gathered at the train station once more, excluding Shidaiqu and Blues. Symposia-Major’s traveling hub still buzzed with multitudes of people, as it had earlier in the day. No one really bothered the small group standing together several feet from the train scheduled to depart from the station back to Symposia-Operani. That left them able to speak to each other in peace.

Hugs were given out freely, as well as “goodbyes” too between the four teens. Sora was a little sad that he was leaving, but he knew that at least Harmony had to be back home. He supposed that would include him as well, since he was staying with her family.

Harmony, who appeared to be trying not to show how reluctant she was to go, was in the middle of a hug between the twins and murmured something quietly in their ears before being let go. Rhythm and Beat gave her soft look, saddened by something. Then they shook away that sadness to flash Sora bright grins.

“Can’t wait to hang with you soon, So’-So’.” Beat and his nickname, not that Sora really minded. It felt nice to be able to have a new friend so eager to be friendly.

“I’ll try,” Sora answered back, glancing to Harmony with her soft, barely-there smile on her lips, “We’ll try to get back here to visit more. Right Harmony?”

That snapped Harmony out of whatever thoughts had taken hold of her concentration, causing her to quickly nod before she even knew what she was agreeing to. “Oh, yes, of course.” The small smile forced its way bigger on her lips.

Both the twins nodded, smiling back at the two leaving now, and soon ushered them over to the train. The loudspeaker came on to announce that the train to Symposia-Operani was about to leave. People began to hurry as they got on. Harmony and Sora soon joined the rushing crowds, waving their hands goodbye to the twins as they got on and inside the monorail train car.

Inside felt completely different than the outside. Sora noted how much more peaceful and quieter it was, which was a little bit of a relief as he flopped down into his train seat. Harmony joined in next to him in the aisle seat rather than the one next to the window. Still the air around her was heavy with a soft sadness that he noticed hanging about her like a small, gray rain cloud. Not like he could really blame her for such a mood, since he was a little sad to leave Rhythm and Beat and the rest of the sights of Symposia-Major. The whole city was a dazzling display of lights and sounds. It was hard to want to be away from it all.

While Sora indulged his memories of the day and all that he had been able to see, the rest of the passengers trickled into the train car and other cars along the monorail train. No one really made much of a disturbance, getting to their seats and sitting down. Everything appeared to be going as smoothly as it would on any other day.

But Sora felt a rising spike of anxiety in his heart just before that daily order was disturbed quite suddenly.

The door to the train car opened up wide and remained that way as it let in a group of people all dressed in the same odd and dark uniforms. They didn’t appear to be friendly at all, and the nervous feeling about them got worse when they held up metronome-like devices that Sora remembered the healer using to tell if his heart had been harmonized or not.

“Everyone, remain calm, please. There is nothing to worry about. We are merely trying to find and fix a problem aboard this train car.”

Sora was confused, and, by the look on Harmony’s face, she was as well. Something about the likeness of the devices the group held sparked a cold dread up his spine, as though he was a danger or could be. He didn’t know if they could find out if he wasn’t from here with that device, or maybe it would out him as still having a slightly dissonant heartsong. Either way, Sora wanted to melt into the cushioned train seat right about now.

“What kind of people?” one of the other passengers asked, holding her daughter in her lap and looking mildly annoyed at the delay these people were causing. That annoyed look furrowed when she received no answer from the group that began its sweep of the train car.

“Something’s not right,” Harmony muttered under her breath, and Sora nodded his head slightly in agreement. Neither of them wanted to draw any attention to themselves. They waited there in their seats patiently as the group continued to move through the train car. It was nerve-wracking, but, as long as they _appeared_ as though nothing was wrong, hopefully it would be so.

A pulling sensation, to summon his keyblade, danced along his fingers and palm. Sora willed that feeling down and knew that there wasn't any trouble. Yet. How long that would stay was another matter as he continued to stare unblinking as the group waved their metronomic sensors back and forth. They were just a few feet away from the both of them, getting closer with every tick tock rhythm of a clock until-

**CLANG-CLUNG-BANG**

A loud racket just outside the back of the train car grabbed everyone’s attention and made them all look that way. No one appeared to have known what made that noise. However, the uniformed people appeared to think it was top priority now as they rushed down the aisle to get back there. Everyone watched, before turning back forward in their seats and starting up hushed conversations on just exactly _what_ was going on.

Everyone, that is, except for Harmony apparently.

Sora wanted to ask her if she knew something about that, but there was a strange and guarded look on her face. Like something about those people had caused her to become defensive over something that he couldn’t quite figure out. Whatever it was either was secret or not something to be talked about now. He was still curious to know just what it was but kept his tongue still in asking just yet.

The noise did seem oddly...fortunate, almost. Not that he had been wanting something like that to occur, but he couldn’t help but feel the relief for having the attention of those strange people away from Harmony and himself now. Now, hopefully, they would be allowed to leave the Symposia-Major train station.

It took another five minutes before the train cars began moving out of the station, with the voice over the radio apologizing for the delay. 

Sora relaxed his shoulders and sighed out in relief, glad that was now over with. His eyes darted over to Harmony, who was staring out the window with her body still tense as before. He wanted to ask her what was wrong, but again he stopped himself with the reason from before.

So, he just sat back and enjoyed the ride back to Symposia-Operani, still wondering what that was about. If he had to take a guess, it almost appeared as though they had been searching for something making a racket, given this world’s theme of music.

But why would that be a problem? Were they trying to keep the peace of harmony?

Something about that began to sit ill with Sora. It felt like being told a lie, when the truth was far more evident. He knew he would definitely talk about this to Harmony when she wasn’t still in the tense mood that she was in now. Maybe they could both figure out this mystery together. Maybe that is why he was here, to help with whatever this problem was and get to return back to his other friends afterwards. 

Sora hoped so. 

The soft melody produced by the train against its monorail started up once more as it slid out of the train station. It was still that peaceful melody as before, soft and inviting to listen to. The sound lulled away some of the anxiety that he felt, and he relaxed his shoulders as the world outside flew by. 

Harmony, however, still held her shoulders taunt. Like she was ready for a fight to happen. Sora couldn’t help himself but to reach out to lightly pat her hand and give her a soft grin when she finally looked at him. It appeared to do its job, causing her to return the smile with real sincerity in it this time. His new friend deserved to be happy, that is what he thought when he finally saw her smiling for real this time. That is what he was going to try to do. Help those that needed it, because no one deserved to be sad now.

Sora was going to do his best in what he did best: helping his friends and their worlds.

**|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|**

**You've got a friend in me**  
**You've got a friend in me**  
**You've got troubles, I've got 'em too**  
**There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you**  
**We stick together and we see it through**  
**Cause you've got a friend in me  
** **You've got a friend in me**

**-“You’ve Got a Friend in Me” by Randy Newman**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed reading my fic! Let me know what you think and what questions you might have for the rest of the story as it continues!
> 
> My tumblr is [anaya-of-wolves](anaya-of-wolves.tumblr.com) if you want to see updates or ask and talk more their! My askbox is always open!


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